Images

Bathymetric map of offshore Oregon with Stonewall, Heceta, and Siltcoos Banks labeled.

Bathymetric map of offshore Washington reveals seafloor features and submarine canyons.

Topo-bathymetric map of the Cascadia subduction zone. Cascadia megathrust fault (white line); approximate shelf break along 200-m isobath (yellow line); MTJ, Mendocino triple junction.

Bathymetric map of offshore northern California reveals seafloor features and submarine canyons.

Schematic cross-section of the accretionary wedge along the Cascadia subduction zone. Modified from Moore and others, 2007.

View looks southwest along the eastern flank of the Elwha River delta and back towards the mouth of the river. USGS conducts regular surveys along this stretch of coastline, to monitor the evolving coastline following removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams, completed in 2014.

You have to be able to have a little fun when in the field. A colleague from the Washington State Department of Ecology hams it up while prepping for a beach survey with scientists from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center.

Photo of surf zone offshore of Fort Stevens State Park taken from the Columbia River South Jetty observation deck.

The west coast of the United States showing locations of EXPRESS ship-based multibeam surveys, ROV dives, AUV dives, and sediment samples. Red boxes show locations of close-up views of multibeam bathymetry in Figures 2 and 3.

Colored shaded-relief bathymetry including pockmarks offshore Morro Bay, California. Map generated from AUV-based multibeam bathymetry data collected by MBARI.

Colored, shaded-relief bathymetry offshore central California. Data supported management of National Marine Sanctuaries and prospective renewable energy decisions. Black ovals are locations of AUV-based multibeam surveys. Close-up views of two AUV surveys are shown in Figures 4 and 5.

Colored, shaded-relief bathymetry of Trinidad Submarine Canyon northwest of Humboldt Bay in northern California. Area is in the vicinity of a potential offshore renewable energy development. See larger map for location.

Colored shaded-relief bathymetry including submarine channels and pockmarks offshore Morro Bay, California. Map generated from AUV-based multibeam bathymetry data collected by MBARI both prior to and as a part of EXPRESS.

Marine technician Dan Powers, from the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center's Marine Facility (PCMSC MarFac), wears all the required personal protective equipment: bib waders, personal floatation device, and mask.

Overview of Taan Fiord. Inset showing location of Taan Fiord, Alaska in Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Taan Fiord is about 100 km from the nearest town, Yakutat, AK. Landsat 8 image of Taan Fiord acquired in 2016. Vegetation loss is clear near the water line.

A USGS scientist navigates a personal watercraft (PWC) slowly through Elkhorn Slough. The PWC is equipped with an echosounder and GPS, to record accurate depth and location. This mapping effort is part of recurring surveys in the Monterey Bay area.

A USGS scientist navigates a personal watercraft equipped with sonar and GPS to collect depth information (bathymetry) of the nearshore. This mapping effort is part of recurring surveys in the Monterey Bay area.

A USGS scientist walks along Santa Cruz Main Beach at the edge of the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz, California, wearing a backpack with GPS equipment. She is collecting elevation data that will be used to create a topographic map of the beach. This mapping effort is part of recurring surveys in the Monterey Bay area.

Field equipment used by USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center scientists for bathymetric and topographic surveys in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California

Thermal infrared image of two USGS researchers standing on the coastline and looking out (up on the image) over a coastal groundwater plume that is non-visible to the naked eye but can be observed in this thermal image due to the temperature differences between the cooler (blue) groundwater and warmer (pink) ocean water over the coral reefs.

Aerial image of Searsville Dam and Lake near Stanford, California, taken during coring operations in February 2020.